National secur it y

II.  Security

The United States government has no greater responsibility than protecting the American people. Yet, 

our obligations do not end at our borders. We embrace our responsibilities for underwriting interna-

tional security because it serves our interests, upholds our commitments to allies and partners, and 

addresses threats that are truly global. There is no substitute for American leadership whether in the 

face of aggression, in the cause of universal values, or in the service of a more secure America. Fulfilling 

our responsibilities depends on a strong defense and secure homeland. It also requires a global security 

posture in which our unique capabilities are employed within diverse international coalitions and in 

support of local partners. Such a shift is possible after a period of prolonged combat. Six years ago, 

there were roughly 180,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, there are fewer than 15,000. This 

transition has dramatically reduced U.S. casualties and allows us to realign our forces and resources to 

meet an evolving set of threats while securing our strategic objectives. 

In so doing, we will prioritize collective action to meet the persistent threat posed by terrorism today, 

especially from al-Qa’ida, ISIL, and their affiliates. In addition to acting decisively to defeat direct threats, 

we will focus on building the capacity of others to prevent the causes and consequences of conflict to 

include countering extreme and dangerous ideologies. Keeping nuclear materials from terrorists and 

preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons remains a high priority, as does mobilizing the inter-

national community to meet the urgent challenges posed by climate change and infectious disease. 

Collective action is needed to assure access to the shared spaces—cyber, space, air, and oceans—where 

the dangerous behaviors of some threaten us all.  

Our allies will remain central to all these efforts. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is the 

world’s preeminent multilateral alliance, reinforced by the historic close ties we have with the United 

Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Canada. NATO is stronger and more cohesive than at any point in 

its history, especially due to contributions of the Nordic countries and newer members like Poland and 

the Baltic countries. Our alliances in Asia underwrite security and enable prosperity throughout Asia and 

the Pacific. We will continue to modernize these essential bilateral alliances while enhancing the security 

ties among our allies. Japan, South Korea, and Australia, as well as our close partner in New Zealand, 

remain the model for interoperability while we reinvigorate our ties to the Philippines and preserve 

our ties to Thailand. And our allies and partners in other regions, including our security partnership and 

people-to-people ties with Israel, are essential to advancing our interests.